The heads of individuals can be subjected to dangerous impact loading in numerous professional and/or recreational activities. Typical activities include football, hockey, race cars, motorcycles, bicycles, construction, military, etc. Protection of the head and brain is critical when considering the impact that can occur in these activities. Various methods are utilized to mitigate head injuries. These generally consist of providing a helmet or other head covering which has a hard outer shell and some form of internal cushioning.
Existing helmet systems use a combination of foam and/or air (atmospheric based) shock absorbers to manage impact. The disadvantage of these systems is how efficiently they distribute the impact. For the most part, these systems do not absorb as much impact due to the fact that they are not predictably pressurized prior to the impact.